Dee Dee’s Blog

Goodfellas Mania in Full Swing

April 30th, 2015

It’s been quite a whirlwind this past week.

Many of you know my husband, Paul, played Mob Boss Paul Cicero in Goodfellas. I’m reminded of it myself on a daily basis as people always like to quote lines like “Now I’m gonna have to turn my back on you” and talk about cutting the garlic.

People clearly can’t seem to get enough of this movie even twenty-five years after its initial release. It makes you wonder why. Is it the fascination with mobsters? Could it be that it’s just so well written and well done? I think it’s because it’s about power and power is an aphrodisiac for many people.

Everywhere we go, people treat my husband like he really is a mob boss even though he just played one on the big screen. That’s not a bad thing. Being a famous movie star who plays a mob boss has certain advantages since you often get similar results without having to deal with murder, corruption, and all that other unpleasantness.

In honor of the film’s 25th anniversary, the Tribeca Film Festival closed with a screening of the film and a reunion of many of the principal players. It was a wonderful tribute. Robert De Niro was there and was very sweet. So were Ray Liotta and Lorraine Bracco who were very nice and seemed to still have a thing. Maybe they were just trying to bring back a few Henry and Karen memories.

Jon Stewart served as the moderator for the cast reunion, and he was brilliant. I told him that I appreciated the fact that when I was on his show, they were kind enough to let me do my thing. Usually they destroy Republicans with lots of clever editing, but they didn’t edit me. I reminded him of the segment, and he remembered because he’s such a super bright guy.

The crowd went crazy when they screened the film and everyone had a terrific time at the Tavern on the Green after party.

Later, on TheToday Show, they showed an interview with the cast which was also great with Paul and Bobby holding court. Ray was funny and just hanging out. Lorraine talked about Ray playing footsie with her under a table . . . hmm. Maybe a reunion of another kind went on.

Before the Goodfellas reunion, I threw a birthday/Goodfellas party for Paul, and it was perfect. We held it at New York Yankee Steak, and they did an amazing job. Governor Andrew Cuomo came and gave Paul a proclamation. He also made a touching speech in which he noted that he’d just returned from a trip to Cuba but despite being very tired as a result, he felt that his father, Mario, was on his shoulder telling him he needed to go wish his friend Paul a happy birthday. Governor Cuomo was kind enough to talk about what a great friend Paul is and described his many accomplishments.

Paul is a sculptor, painter, singer, writer, director, cook, and has acted in 180 movies. It’s truly an amazing resume. Of all his wonderful accomplishments, it almost never fails that Goodfellas comes up daily in conversation with people he meets. They just can’t seem to get enough of that film. It’s in a category with The Godfather and Gone with the Wind. People watch it over and over again and they never seem to tire of it.

I’ve often told Paul he’s definitely the “goodfella” in the movie. His character doesn’t cheat on his wife like the others, and he’s loyal to his people and vehemently opposed to drug dealing. The others screw each other over all the time. As far as gangsters go, Paul or should I say Paulie, the character he plays, is following the straight and narrow. Whatever draw there is to this movie after twenty-five years, I can tell you it’s still alive and well.

We’re currently on the road again to Los Angeles for Paul’s art show. Along the way, we’ve met up with several people at a cowboy themed restaurant who asked Paul to come out for a picture, and we’ve also watched people at the Big Texan try to eat 72 ounce steaks for free. We even bought Paul a badge that says “Texas Ranger.” That should come in handy in a future film if he decides to switch to the other side of the law, maybe playing a sheriff or something.

Today we’ll be at a sculptor event with big wigs and stars in Santa Monica.

It’s always an adventure with Dee Dee and the Goodfella—the Sorvinos—and there will be much more to come.